Jeff Whelchel
Author · Physician turned financial advisor · Amarillo, Texas
Jeff Whelchel, M.D., grew up in Claude, Texas, a small town in the Texas Panhandle. He spent twenty-three years as a physician in Amarillo before becoming a financial advisor.He has been married to Pam since 1989. They have three grown children and three grandchildren who are more fun than he ever imagined they could be.Jeff writes across a wider range than most. The Long Road to Surrender is his most personal book, a memoir of burnout and faith. His first book, The New Thyroid Handbook, was considerably less personal and required no EMDR to write. Under the name Poppy, he also writes children's books, which are considerably shorter and required only minimal therapy to complete.What ties them together is simple: he writes the things he wants his family and others to be able to hold in their hands forever.
© Jeff Whelchel. All rights reserved.
The Long Road to Surrender
A Memoir About Burnout, Faith, and the God Who Wouldn't Let Go
It was a Saturday morning. By every reasonable measure, he had nothing to dread. And yet there it was.After twenty-three years as a physician, Jeff Whelchel walked away from the only career he had ever known, and everything came apart.This is the honest, humorous, and raw account of the breakdown, the faith that met him at the bottom, and the long road back up. Equal parts humor and heartbreak, told with a Texas Panhandle way of storytelling that will hold you from start to finish.
By Poppy Children's book series
Warm, funny picture books written for his grandkids - and yours
Poppy's Prize for Pooping in the Potty
Poppy made his grandkids the best deal of their lives: poop in the potty for the very first time, and he'd take them straight to the toy store to pick out anything they wanted.One by one, each grandchild took the deal. And each one chose a special toy that was just right for them.Mimi celebrated with a dance nobody wants to talk about.A warm, funny picture book about potty milestones, grandparent love, and the silly traditions that turn ordinary moments into family legends.
The Long Road to Missy
Mimi had a sad heart. The house was too quiet. So Poppy got on the internet, Mimi made phone calls, and together they drove 800 miles to Mississippi to bring home a tiny, terrified puppy named Missy.A true story about the long road home, and the man who slept on the floor so a scared little dog wouldn't feel alone.
Everybody Has a Thing
In one family, everybody has a thing.Some things are silly. Some things are tricky. Some things you can see, and some things you can't. From the youngest grandchild to the bald grandfather who insists he has no thing at all (he is mistaken), every person at the table is carrying something that makes them who they are.Everybody Has a Thing is a warm, funny picture book about a multigenerational family who love each other exactly as they are. It is also a gentle, honest story for children with Tourette syndrome, tics, ADHD, autism, anxiety, asthma, and any of the small or large things that make a person different.Written by a physician and grandfather, this is a book about a quiet, ordinary kind of love. The kind that doesn't try to fix anyone. The kind that has room for everybody.Perfect for classroom libraries, pediatric waiting rooms, school counselors, neurodivergent families, and grandparents looking for a meaningful gift.
Sir Malachi and the Dragons
Sir Malachi wakes up knowing one thing for certain: his castle needs him, and today will be dangerous. It always is.Armed with his sword, his helmet, and the heart of a true knight, he defends his kingdom from danger after danger, with a little help from his fearless (if occasionally distracted) armor-bearer. Of course, things are not always quite what they seem.But Sir Malachi doesn't need to know that.Told with warmth and a wink, Sir Malachi and the Dragons is a joyful celebration of childhood imagination and the families who quietly play along. Perfect for bedtime, for reading aloud, and for anyone who remembers being small and mighty.
She Belongs
Every child deserves to know they belong.She Belongs is a warm, funny, faith-filled picture book for families built by love, whether through adoption, foster care, or the beautiful, unexpected ways children find their way home.Perfect for reading aloud, sharing as a gift, or reassuring a child who has ever wondered where they fit, this is a story that celebrates the truth every family already knows; belonging was never about matching. It was always about love.A heartfelt addition to any family bookshelf, and a gentle reminder that the way a child comes into a family is part of what makes their story beautiful.
Everybody Loves Mimi
Some picture books are for the child on your lap. This one is for the whole room.Everybody Loves Mimi is a warm, funny, read-aloud about the person at the center of a family, the one everyone runs to first, and the quiet, generous love that holds a household togethers. It is a story about belonging, about a little harmless jealousy, and about learning that being surrounded by people who love someone else is not the same as being left out.Tender without being sappy and funny without trying too hard, it is the kind of book that gets pulled off the shelf again and again, and asked for by name at the next visit. It makes a heartfelt gift for a beloved Mimi, Grandma, or Nana, for Mother's Day, a birthday, or no reason at all, and it speaks just as much to the grown-up doing the reading as to the child listening.
A Very Bad Case of the Cooties
When Abby comes to visit her cousins, Poppy tells them that she has a very bad case of the cooties. They panic and make a plan to protect themselves.But Abby reveals the truth and turns the tables on Poppy.A funny, heartwarming story about family, imagination, and the adventures that come with both.
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